The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of strawberry (Fragaria X ananassa Duchesne) named ‘Florida Beauty’. This new strawberry plant is distinguished by its compact growth habit and ability to produce steady yields of fruit that are consistently shaped and have exceptional flavor when grown in west central Florida. Asexual propagation was performed at Balm, Fla. where the selection was made and plants were tested. Contrast is made to ‘Florida Radiance’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 20,363) and ‘Florida127’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 25,574), currently the dominant varieties in Hillsborough County, Fla., for reliable description. This new variety is a promising candidate for commercial success because it can be planted earlier than other varieties due to its compact plant habit and because it produces flavorful fruit that are evenly colored and consistently shaped during the entire Florida market window.
This strawberry plant (genotype) originated in a strawberry breeding plot in Balm, Fla. The seed parent was AU 2010-119, an unreleased breeding selection with the ability to produce fruit with excellent flavor and shape. The pollen parent was ‘Florida Radiance’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 20,363), a strawberry cultivar with high early yields, steady yield pattern, and low vegetative vigor. The seeds resulting from the controlled hybridization were germinated in a greenhouse, and the resulting seedlings were planted and allowed to produce daughter plants by asexual propagation (i.e. by runners). Two daughter plants from each seedling were transplanted to raised beds, where they fruited. ‘Florida Beauty’ (as represented by two daughter plants from the original seedling) exhibited compact plant habit and steady yields of consistently shaped fruit, and therefore was selected for further evaluation. ‘Florida Beauty’ was selection number 5 of the 121st cross in the 2012-2013 seedling trial, and thus was given the breeding trial designation of FL 12.121-5. ‘Florida Beauty’ has been asexually propagated annually by runners, and further test plantings have established that the vegetative and fruit characteristics of the propagules are identical to the initial daughter plants.